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Message: [QUOTE="Ex Nutmegger, post: 2129650, member: 8025"] .One very positive effect that all the efforts of Geno and his staff and all the talented and hard working young women who have been and are building this marvelous legend and legacy that is UConn WBB is the increased recognition it is bringing to the State of Connecticut. I grew up in Andover Ct, just a few miles South of Storrs and attended Windham High School in Willimantic. After working a couple of years in the Boston area a career move brought me to the West Coast where my family and I have enjoyed living for the past 45 years. When I've told aqaintances out here I was from Connecticut, often their eyes would start to glaze over and they might say "oh, that's near Boston isn't it?"(unless they were an officer in the Coast Guard). Now I mention the UConn WBB team and the glaze disappears, the light goes on and they say "oh yeah, UConn - Connecticut!" So, to borrow half of your thread title, Baggs the team has definitely brought "More Love" to the State of Connecticut! As a first time writer, I have a confession to make. I have been reading the Boneyard now for more than six years but have remained "silent" until now. My excuse is that I have been absolutely awed and somewhat cowed by the really, really high level of basketball expertise that is exhibited in the entries here. I am aware that most of you are or were basketball players and or coaches. As I mentioned, I grew up in Andover, a country town of 540 inhabitants at that time. I never touched a real basketball until I got to Windham High. On October 22, 1954 the Boston Celtics, led by Bob Cousy, Bill Sharmen, Frank Ramsey and Easy Ed Macauley, came to the Windham High gymnasium and played an exhibition game against the then Rochester Royals. Yes, Bob Cousy passing to Sharmen for what would have been a three point shot and leading Easy Ed on a back-door layup in my gym! That was my introduction to team basketball. After that I often listened to WTIC's play-by-play calls of Art Quimby pulling down about 1000 rebounds a game and leading the men's team to Yankee Conference Championships. Oh, one more UConn/CT connection, albeit tenuous, that might qualify me for associate membership here is that although I am not a UConn alum, I did spend a week in the Summer of '56 in residence on campus attending Nutmeg Boys State. Baggs, regarding your second category of UConn WBB Fan in the thread introduction, I can tell you I feel truly blessed to have seen Cousy and the Celtics brand of team basketball. And I really believe(albeit with a somewhat dim memory of those days in '54) that this year's team brings a higher level of precision teamwork to the game on both O and D than even those Celtic ledgends had. I agree with the comparison to ballet. I have four granddaughters age 9 to 12 and have watched them in numerous "Nutcracker" performances. The precision is great, and the work that goes into it is enormous. The reference to Navy Seals training is good and I would add a comparison to a military precision drill team(maybe a quirky example, but remember the movie "Platoon" with Bill Murray?) Thank you all for giving me an enjoyable and often educational diversion almost every day during the Fall and Winter. Oh, and I do check in often during the Summer when I sense that the technical aspects of the discussion wane a little and the philosophical gears start to grind. I like it all! [/QUOTE]

Verification: First name of men's bb coach

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